Trolley-pole.



L. RADGLIPF. TROLLEY POLE.

APPLICATIDN FILED JUNE 29, 1906.

, PATENTED MAY 28, 1907.

m: NoRRls PETERS co, wxsumawu, b. c.

M1, attorney! wire as the car passes around curves.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

LEE RADCLIFF, or DANVERS, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF TO ADDIE HAY,OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS.

TROLLEY-POLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 28, 1907.

Application filed June 29, 1906. Serial N0. 324,074.

To (all witmn it may concern:

Be it known that 1, LEE RADCLIFF, a citizen of the United States,residing at Danvers, in the county of McLean and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Poles, of whichthe fol lowing is a specification.

This invention comprises primarily a dou ble trolley pole for trolleycars designed particularly to do away with the customary construction oftrolley pole base necessary to admit of turning of the pole and reversalof the direction of movement of the car to which it is attached.

A trolley pole embodying this invention, has its opposite ends providedwith trolley wheels and is so constructed that the trolley wheel ateither of such ends may be caused to engage the. feed or trolley wiremerely by movement of the pole in a vertical plane, and obviating thenecessity for turning the pole, as above premised permitting of greatercelerity in effecting engagement of the trolley wheel or wheels of thepole with the feed wire preparatory to reversing the car.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof andalso to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the meansfor effecting the result, reference is to be had to the followingdescription and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view showing the upper portion of a trolley carhaving the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a front elevation. Fig.3 is a detail sectional view bringing out clearly the means forconnecting the upper section at each end of the pole, with the bodythereof.

Specifically describing the invention, the numeral 1 designates the carbody and the numeral 2 indicates a post or short standard projectingupwardly from the top of the car centrally thereof and having the pole 3pivoted between its ends thereto, as shown at 4. The pole 3 is ofpeculiar form, being curved so that its ends project upwardly from thetop of the car, each end having a movable upper section 5 pivoted to thebody of the pole as shown at 6, so as to move laterally or about ahorizontal axis to permit the trolley wheels 7, one of which is attachedto the upper extremity of each section 5, to readily remain inengagement with the feed or trolley other words, the mounting of thesections is such that the pole can readily swing laterally to compensatefor inequalities in the level of the track which would cause the car totilt from side to side. Normally, however, the sections 5 of the upperends of the pole are held in longitudinal alinement with the body of thepole by means of springs 8, a pair of which is attached to the pole 3 atopposite sides of its pivot 6 to engage the lower end of each section 5and hold it in its normal position above mentioned. The springs 8 arepreferably fiat springs free at the upper ends .and secured to the pole3 at the lower ends.

The means governing the position of the pole 3, or the operating meanscomprising the invention, consists mainly of spring actuated levers 9,the lower ends of which are pivoted to the top of the car as shown at 10and the upper ends of which are connected with 0 erating ropes or cords11. The pivots 10 of the levers 9, though located near the lower ends ofsaid levers, are arranged intermediate the extremities of the latter,and springs 12 or similar elastic connections are attached at one end tothe top of the car and at the opposite ends to the lower extremity of alever 9 so as to normally hold the upper end of such lever in positiveengagement with the under side of the adjacent end portion of the pole3. In other words, the cooperation of the springs 12 with the levers 9is such that when said levers 9 are not held down by the cords orconnections 1 1, they tend to force the ends of the pole 3 upwardly tocause the trolley wheels carried by such ends to engage with the feed ortrolley wire. Normally, the trolley wheel at one end of the trolley pole3, engages the feed or trolley wire and is held in such engagement bymeans of the adjacent spring actuated lever 9 which bears against thisportion of the pole and which is free to move upwardly as the rope orcord 11 connected with said lever, is free at its lower end. Theopposite lever 9, however, is held down by connection of the lower endof this cord or rope 11 with a suitable member 13 at one end of the car.Thus while one lever 9 is actuated by its spring to hold up one end ofthe ole 1, the other lever is held down against t e ten sion of itsspring so that one end of the pole 3 will be held up higher than theother end, the uppermost of the ends of the pole, having i its trolleywheel in engagement the members 13.

-of the car.

with the trolley wire. Whenever it is desired to reverse the directionof movement of the car, all that is necessary on the part of ties of theropes or cords 11 and these handles may comprise rings to facilitateconnection of the lower ends of the cords or ropes 11 with It is ofcourse not necessary to turn the trolley pole about a vertical axis, asis necessary in using most of those now in use, in order to reverse themovement In fact one can readily adjust the trolley pole without gettingoff of the car and this is of considerable advantage under certainconditions of service. Of course when both of the levers 9 are helddownwardly by connection of the handles 14. with the members 13, neitherend of the trolley pole will be sufficiently high to have its trolleywheel in engagement with the feed or trolley wire. In other words, inorder to throw the trolley pole out of operative position, it is simplynecessary to hold the two levers 9 down.

The upper ends of the levers 9 are preferably provided with antifriction rollers adapted to directly engage the pole 3. The operation ofthe. levers 9 may be accomplished with greater ease so far as the forceexpended is concerned, by the use of the rollers.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. The combination of acar, astandard projecting from the car, a trolleypole pivotally mounted at an intermediate point upon the standard andhaving a rocking movement whereby either end thereof can be thrown intoengagement with the line wire, a spring actuated lever mounted upon thecar at each side of the standard, each of the levers bearing looselyagainst the corresponding end of the trolley pole and tending to throwthe same into engagement with the line wire, and means for holdingeither one of the levers in an inoperative position.

2. The combination of a car, a standard carried by the car, a trolleypole pivotally mounted at an intermediate point upon the standard andhaving a rocking movement whereby either end thereof can be thrown intoengagement with a line wire, an operating lever located upon each sideof the standard, the upper end of each operating lever loosely engagingthe corresponding arm of the trolley pole, a spring connected to thelower end of each of the operating levers and normally acting to throwthe corresponding end ofthe trolley ole into engagement with the linewire, anc means for holding either one of the levers in an ino erativeposition.

In testimony whereof affix my signature in presence of two witnesses. v

LEE RADCLIFF. [L. s] l/Vitnesses:

HARVEY HART, MAYME MCDONALD

